Faculty-Led Programs

Texas A&M University courses taught overseas by Texas A&M faculty: the courses are typically taught in English, with the exception of language credit programs. Students are provided with an academically enriching experience in the host country, complemented with culturally relevant excursions.

Developing a study abroad program, short term (2 to 10 weeks) or semester-long, is a lengthy process that involves early discussions as well as timely completion of a detailed proposal form. The general recommendation is to submit the proposal 12 months ahead to allow state approval, development, recruitment and student preparation for the program. Discussion with the academic department and college should start beforehand for preapproval of the academic content. All faculty-led programs taught abroad need department and college approval, so it is best to begin discussion there.

Step 1: Department and College Support

Faculty wishing to create such a program should meet with the appropriate academic department head and study abroad college contact. Colleges may have their own deadline for proposal submission.

Step 2: Creating and Submitting a Proposal

Study abroad college contacts and the Study Abroad Programs Office staff can guide faculty in the course proposal process. Faculty are encouraged to visit with the Dr. Jane Flaherty, Director, or Mrs. Pascale Parker, Assistant Director (studyabroad@tamu.edu or 979.845.0544) for assistance and resources.

Resources:

Proposal templates for new and recurring programs:

Left click to open in Explorer or right click and save link as in Chrome or Firefox. Then open from desktop by right clicking and choosing open with adobe reader.

Step 3: Once a Proposal is Approved by the College

Faculty may start planning programs abroad, working closely with the Study Abroad Programs Office to coordinate logistics, funding, and other administrative processes. Study Abroad Programs Office staff will initiate contact with the faculty once the approved proposal is sent to our office. This office will provide assistance throughout the many phases of development, implementation, and post-program activities as well as in emergency and crisis situations abroad.

The Study Abroad Programs Office offers two service levels for Faculty Led Programs: Standard service, which is fully supported by the Study Abroad Programs Office; Limited service, which is supported more by the faculty’s home department and/or college. Each service level comes with a different fee charged to the students. Please see the Service Levels Matrix as a summary of how the office can support you, depending on your department and business office needs and choice. For more information on service levels please review the below documents.

Once a Faculty-Led program has been approved the faculty member will be notified by the Study Abroad Programs Office. Ideally, we will begin working on the program one year before departure. This gives time for program development, recruitment, processing applications and preparing students for departure. Please refer to the following timelines for more information and steps on how to prepare for a program. Keep in touch with your study abroad liaison for specific details throughout the development process.

There are a variety of avenues through which faculty led study abroad programs can be advertised. Faculty members should follow up with their Study Abroad Liaison to recruit students within a particular college, department, or across campus. Your study abroad liaison will assist with recruitment efforts when applicable. Below are a few ways in which programs can be advertised:

Classroom presentations

Informational meetings (during the day or after 5:00pm)

Email advertisement

bulk emails, listservs, and interest lists

Webpages

Study Abroad Programs Office, department/college

Resource tables on-campus

locations such as the MSC, Koldus, Sbisa, near the college

Chalkboard messages—can be placed in various classrooms in many academic buildings

For faculty working with the Study Abroad Programs Office to build the program from recruitment to delivery, your study abroad liaison and office will work with you to build a timeline, a budget, and navigate the various financial set ups required for the program and students. If your department chose the limited service model, please contact your department and the business office in charge of all financial aspects of the program.
Coming soon:

Contracts and Agreements with foreign vendors

Prepayments and invoices

Payments on site and the role of the custodian (faculty leader)

Program cost and students’ financial responsibility

The Study Abroad Programs Office has compiled a few documents that should help you with budgeting and managing your working funds while abroad. As always, your study abroad liaison will be available to walk you through these procedures and answer questions specific to your program.

Whenever possible, program expenses should be paid before program departure.
The Working Fund is an entrusted advance entrusted to a Texas A&M employee (custodian) to be used for incidental expenses that were not pre-paid.
Coming soon:

Working Fund PowerPoint

Faculty Meal Form

Working Fund Spreadsheet

The primary contact for working fund questions, concerns, rules, procedures, and reconciliations is:

Additional tasks and resources will be provided to you upon your return. Currently, we ask faculty to complete an evaluation of their experience when they return. Students are also asked to evaluate their experience as well. The results of these evaluations are invaluable for making adjustments and improvements to future Faculty Led Programs.

Study Abroad Program Proposal Forms: for faculty interested in teaching Texas A&M University courses to students at a location outside of the United States. Left click to open in Explorer or right click and save link as in Chrome or Firefox. Then open from desktop by right clicking and choosing open with adobe reader.